New Look Institute had the privilege of being part of something truly amazing last Saturday – the wedding of a young couple named Jen and Jeff.
Jen is 35 years old and fighting stage IV lung cancer. She has been placed in hospice care, and with only a few months left to live, Jen wanted to have the wedding of her dreams. We were ecstatic to be a small part of making that dream wedding happen through the donation of a wig for this very special bride’s special day.
This remarkable young woman has been such an inspiration to all of us at the New Look and to many other area business owners as well. Because she is so courageous in the face of such a terrible struggle, she has taught all of us about strength. She has touched so many lives, and the outpouring of support from the San Jose community has been truly inspirational.
Jen’s Dream Wedding
Jen and her family drained their life savings paying for cancer treatment, but thanks to the generosity of area businesses, Jen’s dream wedding came true last Saturday. In less than two weeks, more than 40 vendors donated more than $50,000 worth of goods and services to make her dream wedding a reality.
Jen and her fiancé, Jeff, got married July 27 in a local park surrounded by friends and family. Their simple and beautiful ceremony was followed by a rustic, elegant backyard reception at her family home in San Jose. After the wedding, Jen and her new husband left for their honeymoon to Half Moon Bay, California.
New Look was honored to support this amazingly strong woman and her loving family by providing a wig for her wedding day. Jen lost most her hair due to her cancer treatments. The week before her wedding, Jen came down to the New Look Institute offices and selected the wig that would make her feel like herself on her wedding day. We provided a medium-length natural blonde wig that Jen could style to suit her ideal wedding day hair. Businesses donated everything from catering to lighting to cosmetics to wine to flowers to photography to give Jen her dream wedding.
Jen’s Diagnosis
It started with a cough and some phlegm in the fall of 2012. Doctors prescribed an inhaler and some over-the-counter cough medicine. But a persistent pain in her shoulder brought her back to the doctor. After a chest x-ray, Jen was diagnosed with pneumonia and prescribed antibiotics. But the cough and pain still remained and further testing produced bad news. Jen was diagnosed in December 2012 with non-small cell adenocarcinoma lung cancer. Through the past year, Jen has remained strong and hopeful, giving inspiration to all of us who know her.
Now that Jen has had the wedding of her dreams, she wishes for a vacation for her family and enough funds to cover her medical expenses.
